Sakamoto takes bronze medal in women's figure skating

Kaori Sakamoto performs in the women's figure skating free program in the Olympic Games in Beijing on Thursday. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

BEIJING -- Kaori Sakamoto came from behind to take home the bronze medal in women's figure skating at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday with a total of 233.13 points after taking third place in free skate portion of the competition.

This is the first figure skating medal for a Japanese woman since Mao Asada's silver at the 2010 Vancouver Games. It is also the second podium finish for Sakamoto at the Beijing Games after the 21-year-old earned a bronze in the team event.

Sakamoto was third in the short program with a personal-best score of 79.84 points on Tuesday. She earned 153.29 points in the free skate.

Kaori Sakamoto performs in the women's figure skating free program in the Olympic Games in Beijing on Thursday. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Sakamoto, hailing from Kobe, was sixth in her first Olympic appearance at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games.

Meanwhile, Russian Olympic Committee's Kamila Valieva, who tested positive for a banned substance in December, placed fourth.

Wakaba Higuchi performs in the women's figure skating free program in the Olympic Games in Beijing on Thursday. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

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